I was sent this video on YouTube a few weeks back and found it to be very thought provoking and challenging. Most of you have probably heard of the comedy and magic duo Penn and Teller. Penn is the big, long-haired guy who does all the speaking, and Teller is the silent, small sidekick. They're pretty good. Penn apparently does a series of weblog-style videos called "Penn Says", and this is one of them. He is an avowed atheist but has some very interesting and profound things to say about Christians sharing their faith. Watch the video first before reading on - it's about 5 minutes long.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JHS8adO3hM
(you'll have to cut and paste - I don't do sophisticated tech things like embedding videos)
Challenging, huh? Here is a proclaimed atheist encouraging us to share our faith, even going so far as to say that if we don't we're showing hate, not love. That if we truly do believe that Jesus is the Savior of the world, God's Son who rescues us from tremendous eternal danger, then we have a moral obligation to tell that message to others.
I don't know about you, but that makes me regret missed opportunities and motivates me to be bold in sharing the Gospel. It's easy to make excuses - "they won't receive it well", "I'll lose this friendship", "it'll be awkward and out of place", "they'll think I'm weird" - and I've made just about all of them; but hearing words like these from a person who doesn't at all believe in Jesus causes me to recognize just how important it is to toss excuses aside and open my mouth to speak about Jesus.
In Matthew 16:24-25, Jesus says, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Taking up our cross and denying ourselves means to be willing to die little deaths and make sacrifices to obey and follow Jesus. It could be risking being laughed at or made fun of, or being looked at differently by friends, or even being persecuted by undergoing physical harm. Are we willing make these risks, to lose part of our lives, even emotionally, to share the Gospel with those who have no idea of the spiritual danger they're in? Or will be stand by silently as they continue headlong into an eternal destination separated from God?
Believe me, it's hard to write those words, because I know I have to live it out, to practice what I preach. I want to, even though at times it will be difficult. But as we do this God gets glory, we grow and are changed, and souls are transferred from death to life. Let's join in it together.
--Jason
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